Castaway Chapter 19

[Ed Man]

No More Hiding
Chapter 19

After the farm and power plant was opened the news media started digging into who the owner was Peter’s face was all over the news. The gossip shows and writers took hold of the story like a starving dog and destroyed any since of privacy Peter had. Story after story came out some true but most were just trumped-up stories by people looking for a opportunity to be in the spotlight.
They varied from Peter being a pirate to being seen with every star struck woman in the system right down to him being Josh Galen.
As the stories piled up it took it’s toll on the already uncertain relationship Peter had with Kirsch causing them to split up.
Peter had stepped down from the CEO position of the small vehicle division of the shipyard to a consultant to try and keep from hurting the shipyard.
After a few meetings with Peter’s team and Dana they decided to spin the media and use it in their favor.
Peter hired a public relations specialist who turned the media attention into a booming business charging for guest visits on shows and special appearances. The farm and the shipyard were thriving but all hope of keeping his life privet was over with for Peter.
After several of his personnel at the hidden base asked for his autograph Peter realized something had to change and the only way to do that was give the public something new to focus their attention on and give him a break from the hordes of media that followed his every move so Peter did nothing out of the ordinary.

As the weeks turned into months and after a year of useless pictures and normal days the mob hounding Peter’s every move slowly decreased until there were on two or three people hired by higher ranking media reporters to watch, take pictures and report if anything happened.

The Farm, Power Plant and all other ventures Peter had started were making quite a profit. The next business Peter was about to start up was a media network with a movie, news and shopping channel.

The Teladi and Argon had made capitol ships and corvettes to patrol and secure the system. The hidden Base in the nebula was just a old run down TL turned into a makeshift station and last stop for the worst of the bad having a shoot first as questions later if they survive tactic on anyone entering their space as they called it.
After Peter had a Team map out where and what was in the nebula a joint effort from the Teladi and Argon was agreed on to send in a corvette each with heavy fighter support and destroy the base and any hostile forces. After a quick and brutal attack on the old TL the base went up without to much of a fight and after a day of cat and mouse the ships running away were captured or destroyed bringing a end to the secret Base in the Nebula.
The whole battle was broadcast on the Peter’s news channel making it the channel to watch and advertise on. The movie channel was starting to climb in popularity increasing the profits. Sales from the shopping channel were making a profit selling out most of the products they offered.

Things were looking good for Peter as the credits rolled in. Everthing he had started had prospered except the one thing he longed for, a family.

Mary had moved into one of the apartments near the farm to manage a daycare center for the workers. Peter stopped in from time to time to see Mary, Robby and Goo-doe. Goo-doe had decided he was Robby’s dog when it came time to move so Peter gave him to Robby. Today Peter was taking Robby fishing. A park was made for the workers and their children to enjoy and the small lake had been stocked with fish. Peter pulled up in a cart outside Mary’s apartment and knocked on her door.
Mary answered the door looking at the cart. “Peter what’s that for?”
[Peter] “That’s our ride.”
[Mary] “No vehicles are allowed in the park.”
[Peter] “I know that but I own the place and rank has it’s privileges.”
[Mary] “Maybe for you but I’ll have to explain why we can’t use a cart next time to Robby and do you think it would set a good example to him if you broke your own rules?”
[Peter] “I guess that means we’ll be walking then. And no it’s not a good example it is a dubble standard I realy wasn’t thinking at all. Are you going to cook the fish we catch?”
[Mary] “If you clean and fillet them I’ll try.”

After getting to the lake and getting Robby’s line in the water Peter spent most of his time helping Robby while Mary held Peter’s fishing pole for him while she laughed at Robby as he reeled in his first fish. While Goo-doe run around barking wondering what was going on as the fish fought back swimming from side to side trying to get away. Robby was so excited when Peter helped him get the fish out of the water. Robby looked at the fish after Peter but it in a container like someone looking over a prize catch.

“He really proud about catching that fish. I think you lost your bait.” Mary replied as she handed Peter his fishing pole.
Peter relled his empty line in and layed it down. “I’ll just help Robby catch a few till he get’s the hang of how it’s done.”
Peter cast the line out and handed Robby the pole and set back with Mary and watched Robby as he cought another fish.
[Mary] “Are you enjoying yourself you’re no getting to fish any?”
Peter looked at Mary and smiled. “Of course I wanted to show Robby how to fish. He’ll always remember this and when he does he’ll remember you and me and his first fishing trip.”

Peter thought back to when his dad took him fishing the first time as he looked at Robby holding the fishing pole looking so serious as the line twitched as a fish nibbled at his bait.
“Jerk the line Robby!” Peter said as the fish took the bait bending the ploe a little.

[Mary] “Did you every patch things up with Kirsch?”
Peter looked a little sad as he looked down and said. “No last time I spoke to her she made sure to tell me she was seeing someone so I wished her well and went on.”
Mary smiled saying. “Well it’s her loss Peter have you been dating?”
[Peter] “I’ve had my public relations man make a few dates for the public meetings I have to attend but that’s just for show. I haven’t been on a real date sence Kirsch and I stopped seeing each other.”
[Mary] “What about all the tabloid papers they make you out to be a real playboy!”
[Peter] “If a woman went out behind me they made her out to be with me. Most of them liked the attention and played right along with them getting their few minutes of fame. They describe me as a player to the public and the women I want to date won’t date me because they think I’m a player and the women that do want to date are players so I just been keeping to myself.”
[Mary] “You know the only way to change the publics view of you is if you do it yourself! You do own a media company!”
[Peter] “I’ll think about it.”
[Mary] “I have a friend that I went to school with her husband died when his ship was attacked over a year ago. I talked to her just a few days ago and she thinking about getting own with her life and trying to start dating. Do you want me to contact her I think you’ll like her?”
[Peter] “What’s her name I’ll look her up picture and profile.”
Mary help Peter find her friend on Peter’s PDA, while Sam looked up the woman and relayed in his earpiece she had a clean record.
Peter looked at Mary. “Why not give her a call and see if she’s interested in a date.”
[Mary] “I’ll invite her over to eat and help cook the fish Robby’s catching, she’s a excellent cook. I’ll tell her you’re a friend I want her to meet. I’ll call you and tell you what time.”

Two days later Peter met Mary’s friend and started dating her. After several months of dating she was being followed by reporters and was in the publics eye. After they found out how good a cook and outgoing and attractive she was one of the networks hired her. After several quest appearances and advertisements she had her own show. Not long after that she stopped seeing Peter and started seeing her agent and married him after only three months of dating.

Peter was seen as the victim of a love gone astray because of her fast rise in fame. Peter was starting to understand why so many of the people that were placed in the eye of the public found it so hard to maintain a healthy relationship with anyone. Peter now understood why high profile people seemed to connect with each other so easily. They were placed in the same group by the media and the public making living a normal life impossible for the rich or famous.

Peter keep a low profile never dating anyone very long or getting attached knowing the gate would be reopened in less than two years and his people would be coming for him. Then maybe he could find happiness with Sherry or someone else ounce he was at his own planet and away from the media.
Peter also knew he would always be in the publics eye even on Hagion.
Peter thought as he looked at the beautiful woman holding on to his arm as they walked through the door things could have been a lot worse. Peter felt her body draw close to him giving the media a good picture for their readers. The two were escorted to their table being treated like royalty. Peter looked at the woman he was with as she smilled at him as she sat their with her designer dress made to show off her flawless skin and body. Peter smiled back woundering how long she would last till she didn’t return his call or work got in the way or decided it was just time to move on. Whatever the reason their time together was only going to be for a few months and they both knew it.
Peter had fallen into life in the fast lane and trying to fit in was getting harder every time he said goodbye.
Trying to make a relationship with a woman that was only going to be beside you for a few weeks was out of the question. And the casual lifestyle of the so called friends that run in their small little packs were thick as thieves while backbiting the other little groups.
Peter thought of them as rich pirate clans they just didn’t kill each other was about the only difference. After dating some of the women from different groups Peter decided it was time to withdrawal from the clan wars of the rich and just stay at home.
In just a few more months the Gate would reopen and Peter was ready to go. No matter what was going on in the other sectors if Josh Galen was broke there he had a secure life here to visit whenever he wanted.

The Base had a capitol ship cloaked in orbit and a second one docked at the base in case they needed to evacuate. Peter really didn’t know what was going to happen when the gate reopened.
He was hoping a ship from Hagion was coming to look for him but he wanted to be ready in case hostile forces came through instead. The Ancients had promised to return Josh to his own time but they never said anything about keeping him out of harm’s way.

After a few weeks of keeping to himself Peter had just finished up a long meeting and went to get a bite to eat. As Peter set down a man walked over to his table from behind. “Hello old friend do you mind if I set down?”
Peter looked up to see Dan looking down smiling. “Yes please set down and join me it’s good to see you.”
Peter knew something was up for Dan to risk coming to see him as Dan started to set down he reached out his hand to shake Peter’s hand. As Peter took his hand he felt a data chip in Dan’s hand. Peter took the chip and sled it into his pocket as Dan replied. “I can’t stay. I just wanted to say hi I’ll see you in a few months when I get back in we’ll speek then.”
Dan turned and walked away as Peter set their watching his friend leave. The waiter came and put his food down and eased back as Peter told him that would be all for now the waiter returned to his post.
Peter started eating like nothing was going on and pulled out his PDA and put the chip in it.

The message on the chip explained that Sherry had crashed landed on a very harsh planet and if she wasn’t rescued she would die. Sherry had got a divorce and her ex-husband had hired a professional killer to make her death look like a accident so he could clame full ownership of the power plant before she changed her will and cut him out.
The coordinates for a jump in were on the chip the only problem was it had to be a halo jump into the planets atmosphere. No jumping into the atmosphere in a ship but a direct jump from the transporter pad to a planet millions of light years away and into it’s atmosphere. A Xenon destroyer was in orbit above the planet holding position in space waiting on a break in the ion storm to destroy anything left of the crash. The Pilot crashed the ship on the planet in the only safe environment he could find at the time and it’s about to enter into a seven day darkness and hard freeze that will kill them all if help doesn’t arive.
They had a small window of escape from the massive ion storm that surrounds the planet. The storm was fueled by the sun and the only opening was a small eye that was open on the shadowed side.
A heavy snow would cover the ships up but the destroyer in orbit was waiting on the break to scan for the wreckage and bombard it from space. A special message from Dan was on the chip. “I didn’t think it was fair for the woman you loved to have to die before you could see her again good luck.” After Dan’s note all the data needed to but Sherry’s ex and the assassin away was on the chip.
Peter needed a team willing to go with him and rescue the people construct a ship after the snow covers them up shelding them from the ion storm and get out at the right moment before they start getting bombed.
Then wait months on the gate to reopen before they can return home.
Peter woundered if anyone would be willing to go on such a dangerous mission with him knowing that they could die if anything went wrong and they didn’t have time to train it was now or never. It was time for Josh Galen to come out of hidding and use the military training he knew so well. Josh was going to rescue Sherry or die trying not going was not a option he could live with.
Alone or with a team Josh was going.

[collins50]

Hi Ed
You have done it again, a new twist for Josh, I hope he can pull it off.